Adventures of a Yaadie in North Carolina

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How I Became a Man Stealer

Kids can be so cruel! I was reflecting on my childhood years the other day and one experience stood out in my memories.

Every summer my parents sent me to some summer camp or the other to keep me occupied for a few hours in the day. When I was seven they sent me to Achiever’s Summer Camp. My first day there I realised two students from my school, Boy and Girl, were there as well. I knew no one else. Well, my seven year old self was incredibly shy so I clung to those two people until the instructor assigned seats and separated us.

We were eventually reunited and I continued talking to Boy, who was one of my best friends at school. During the lunch break, I tried as hard as I could to make friends, but no one would talk to me and I couldn’t figure out why. I wasn’t too bothered because I still had Boy and Girl, but unfortunately, they only stayed for the first two weeks of the four week program. Fake friends!

The third week I was alone and the other kids still would not talk to me. I was eventually informed that when the teacher separated Boy, Girl and I on the first day, Evil Girl (this is the actual name on her birth certificate) declared that Boy was her boyfriend. When Boy and I were reunited, she came to the conclusion that I had stolen him from her. She then made it her life’s mission to tell all the other children in our class not to speak with me because I was a boyfriend stealer.

Looking back, I’m curious as to what an 8 year old knew about boyfriend stealing. I know what you’re saying, maybe she was joking. Right? I can assure you she was not. Four years later our paths crossed again and I kid you not, she still called me a boyfriend stealer.

This was definitely one of the strangest experiences on my life. In case you are wondering, I am not a boyfriend stealer!